AAustin, Texas – The families of 19 of the victims in Uvalde elementary school shooting in Texas on Wednesday announced a lawsuit against nearly 100 state troopers who were part of the failed law enforcement response.
The families said in a statement that they also agreed to a $2 million settlement with the city, under which city leaders promised higher standards and better training for local police.
The announcement came two days before the two-year anniversary of one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. Nineteen fourth graders and two teachers were killed on May 24, 2022, when an armed teenager burst into their classroom at Robb Elementary School and began shooting.
The lawsuit is the latest of several seeking accountability for authorities’ response. More than 370 federal, state and local law enforcement officers converged on the scene but waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the shooter.
It is the first process after a 600-page report from the Department of Justice was released in January that cataloged “cascading failures” in the training, communication, leadership and technology problems of that day.
The lawsuit notes that state troopers did not follow their active shooter training and responsibility to confront him, even though the students and teachers inside followed their own lockdown protocols of turning off lights, locking doors and remaining silent.
“The protocols trap teachers and students inside, leaving them completely dependent on authorities to respond quickly and effectively,” the families and their lawyers said in a statement.
Terrified students inside the classroom called 911 as agonized parents pleaded with police officers, some of whom could hear shots being fired as they stood in the hallway, to come inside. A tactical team of police officers eventually entered the classroom and killed the shooter.
“The authorities’ inaction that day was a complete and utter betrayal of these families and the sons, daughters and mothers they lost,” said Erin Rogiers, one of the families’ lawyers. “TXDPS had the resources, training and firepower to respond appropriately, but they ignored all of this and failed at every level. These families not only have the right, but also the responsibility to demand justice.”
A criminal investigation into the police response by Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell’s office remains ongoing. A grand jury was convened this year, and some law enforcement officials have already been called to testify.
The lawsuit against 92 Texas Department of Public Safety employees and troopers also names the Uvalde School District, former Robb Elementary Principal Mandy Gutierrez and former Uvalde Schools Police Chief Peter Arredondo, as defendants.
Another lawsuit filed in December 2022 against local and state police, the city and other school and law enforcement officials, seeks at least US$27 billion and class action status for survivors. And at least two other lawsuits have been filed against weapons manufacturer Daniel Defense, who made the AR-style rifle used by the shooter.
The settlement with the city was limited to $2 million because the families said they didn’t want to bankrupt the city they still live in and allow the community to continue to heal. The amount will be paid by municipal insurance coverage.
Under the terms of the agreement, the city agreed to a new “fitness for duty” standard and improved training for Uvalde police officers. It also establishes May 24 as an annual day of remembrance, a permanent memorial in the town square and support for mental health services for families and the greater Uvalde area.
The police response to the mass shooting has been criticized and scrutinized by state and federal authorities. A 600 page Department of Justice Report in January cataloged “cascading failures” in the training, communication, leadership and technology problems of that day,
Another report commissioned by the city also noted serious errors by authorities, but defended the actions of local police, which provoked anger from victims’ families.
“For two long years, we languished in pain without any accountability from the law enforcement agencies and agents who allowed our families to be destroyed that day,” said Veronica Luevanos, whose daughter Jailah and nephew Jayce were killed. “This agreement reflects a first good faith effort, especially on the part of the city of Uvalde, to begin rebuilding trust in the systems that failed to protect us.”
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
